​Whether it’s the goose-bump inspiring theme to the Lion King, a stunning photo of an acacia tree at sunset or the voice of David Attenborough as he describes the behaviour of wild African animals, there is something about Africa that always captures our attention. For me it is the raw, unique beauty of its diverse landscape, the incredible melting pot of cultures, the people and most importantly, the animals.

Africa stole my heart during my first visit to Tanzania ten years ago. I always knew that I’d return, but what I didn’t know, was how much more difficult it would be to leave the second time! And what I had always hoped but didn’t dare to expect, was that Wade would fall in love with this wild continent, just as much as I had!

When we arrived in November 2015, fresh off a plane from Sri Lanka, we had no idea of the incredible experiences awaiting us. Within our first week of arriving we had one of the most memorable days of all when we met Deo, our sponsor child at School For Life in Uganda. Only days later we were tracking Gorillas in Bwindi National Park and by the end of our initial week on the continent, we had spotted our first elephants on the side of the road, towering over our suddenly miniature hired Rav 4!And to think this was just the start of an incredible five-month journey through East and Southern Africa, you can begin to appreciate all that this incredible continent has to offer!

During those five months of travel we met up with old friends, travelled with new ones and drank more than our fair share of beers around a campfire. We trudged up sand dunes for sunrise, watched elephants drink from waterholes at sunset and fell asleep under a sky full of stars, hundreds of kilometres from the nearest town. But neither one of us could have anticipated the love, fascination and respect we would gain for the incredible creatures that once roamed this continent so freely. Wade’s not even embarrassed anymore to admit his newfound passion for bird-watching and yes, once again, I cried on more than once occasion at the sight of animals. We spent our days searching for new species and our nights reading up on the fight many of these animals face to survive in an ever developing world. It has been an educational experience to say the least.When the time came, leaving Africa was the hardest move we’ve had to make throughout our travels thus far. But knowing that there will always be more to explore, experience and marvel at, leaves us yearning to one day return.So without further a do, let’s get down to business.....

Here are the Stats, Facts and Figures from Wade and Sarah’s 5 months in Africa!

Photo: Our most expensive accommodation at Paje Beach, Zanzibar.... and it was worth every penny!

Cheapest Accommodation = AUD $13.60​One rather terrifying night spent sleeping in an unnamed hotel in the centre of Nairobi city so we could catch a bus at 5am without getting mugged of all of our belongings!

Most Expensive Accommodation = AUD $180Arabian Nights Resort on Paje Beach, Zanzibar for New Years Eve ($180/night.... yep that's what happens when you show up on a beautiful beach on New Years Eve without any accommodation booked!)

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Number of days spent on overland tour from Tanzania to South Africa = 42 days

Photo: But at least Wade was able to face every death-defying rapid with a smile!

Number of days spent on Safari = over 25

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Number of National Parks visited on self-drive safaris =7

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Number of walking safaris =3Tracking wild Rhino on foot in Zimbabwe's Matopos National Park, Walking safari in Okavango Delta, Tracking Gorillas in BwindiOn one occasion we saw the highly dangerous and unpredictable Cape Buffalo up close and personal, so close in fact that half our group did exactly what we were told not to do and bolted leaving a few of us staring this beast in the face merely metres away!

Number of boat safaris =2 - Okavango Delta and Chobe River in Botswana

Most rhinos spotted in one day =28! For such a rare and highly poached animal, this had to be one of the most incredible safaris throughout our trip. Yes I cried (again) and no we can't tell you which National Park it was at for the safety of the animals.... true and frightening fact!

Reasons for bribes:1) Driving without shoes in Lesotho and2) For reduced price entry into a South African National Park at resident rates​Bargain!

Number of Witch Doctors visited = 1​

Number of Marijuana plantations visited = 1​

Now to the important stuff.

THE ANIMALS!!!

Our love for nature and wildlife grew exponentially during our time in Africa. During our five months, we took tens of thousands of photos so culling it down has been difficult. but here are a few of our favourites - From days spent on safaris, to quick road side toilet breaks and everything in between. We spent most of our time scanning the environment for all creatures large and small. These fantastic birds, mammal, reptiles and insects made every day an adventure, every sunrise a potential documentary moment and every tree someones home.​They're what it's all about!

THE CREEPY AND CRAWLY:

Photos (clockwise from left): West Usambara Two-horned Chameleon, Tanzania; We had to swerve across the roads through Addo Elephant Park to avoid these endangered Dung Beetles, South Africa; Lion Spider, Uganda; the incredible iridescent Blue-Yellow Agama in Matopos National Park, Zimbabwe; this Boomslang was raiding a weaver nest for it's latest prey when it fell merely metres from a group of us watching below!

​​OUR FEATHERED FRIENDS:

Clockwise from top left: African Penguin at Betty's Bay on the South African Garden Route; White-backed Vulture clawing at an old carcass; we watched as this tiny Golden Palm Weaver created this nest by shredding strips of the palm leaf and weaving them into this intricate little nest, Tanzania; the beautiful Lilac Breasted Rollers were bountiful throughout Kruger National Park; White-fronted Bee eater, Kruger National Park; One of my personal favourites, the yellow-billed Hornbill always looks angry and yet playfully hops about the ground searching for food; the tell-tale sign of the Black-winged kite are it's striking red eyes.

​​THEBIG FIVE:

Photos from top: African Buffalo stares us down; the family relationships between African Elephants is always so evident when observing them in the wild; these fantastic lions were a pleasure to watch as they growled and bickered at one another; One of the greatest experiences of our travels was walking right up to these sleeping Rhinoceros in Matopos National Park; the elusive Leopard, finally spotted (haha) on our second last day in Africa!

​THE WEIRD, WONDERFUL & GRACEFUL:

​So there you have it, five of the most fantastic, mind blowing and real months of our two years of travel, summarised down to a bunch of numbers!​I hope these figures have been entertaining and give you all some idea of the incredible experience we and in Africa.

We learnt so much during our time there and I'd love to write about Africa all day, but instead hopefully one day we can share a few of our stories in person.